


The Christmas Wish

by Nahiel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 18:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3259337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nahiel/pseuds/Nahiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate universe where Harry really did vanquish Voldemort as a child, Harry is sorted to Slytherin.  Tired of trying to get along with his housemates, Harry spends his first Christmas at Hogwarts with Hedwig in the Owlery. There, he makes a friend who will stay with him for the rest of his life, and eventually become so much more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Year

Harry’s entrance to Hogwarts had been much like any other student’s. He’d been called to place the hat upon his head, and he’d done so gladly. This hat would tell him where he’d do best at Hogwarts. He’d been excited, gleeful even. Finally, finally he would have a place where he belonged.

Except… he’d chosen badly. Because as it turned out, he would fit in one of two houses, and Harry had wanted to be so much better than he was. He’d chosen Slytherin, because that was the house that would help him on a path to greatness, and Harry wanted to be great so very badly. He wanted to be better than what he was, better than what the Dursleys thought he could be.

But there was nothing for him in Slytherin. He’d thought that maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to make a friend or two in his new house, but he’d had no such luck. His housemates were all… they were worse than the Dursleys, in their own way. They were snobs and purebloods, and because Harry wasn’t that meant that he would have no friends among them. Not to mention, many of them apparently held him responsible for the death of the wizard who would have elevated their families to greatness.

It was funny how nobody had bothered to warn him of what he’d be walking into at Hogwarts. The reputation he’d gained when he was just a child had come as a total shock to him. He’d been unprepared to be… hated by his classmates for something he’d done as a baby. And they did hate him, they all had made certain that he understood that.

He’d thought, for a bit, when Malfoy and his other dorm-mates had begun to educate him on the ways of the wizarding world, that maybe he might make some friends, but no. It turned out they just didn’t want him to embarrass the good name of their house by acting improperly. Hogwarts, it seemed, was just like the Dursleys, only there were even more people to dislike him here.

He was miserable, and he had the feeling it was entirely his fault. The one friend that he’d started to make, Ron Weasley, had been entirely uninterested in speaking to him once he’d been sorted to Slytherin. Harry had tried, on several occasions, but it did no good. Ron had finally told him that he didn’t speak to slimy snakes, and that was that.

Even Hagrid had seemed to lose interest in him as the year went on. At first Harry had gone to visit him every Saturday, but gradually the Keeper of the Keys had started being less welcoming. It was like he’d been waiting for Harry to do something, anything, and then as the year went on he just sort of… gave up. Hagrid grew more and more distant, and eventually when Harry went on one October, he wasn’t there at all. Harry could take a hint, and he hadn’t gone back. He was truly alone at Hogwarts.

Except, of course, for Hedwig. Hagrid had given him the owl for his birthday, and Harry treasured her. She was fantastic. When he could speak with nobody else, when everyone around him ignored him, Harry could go to her. When Hagrid stopped being available for Harry on Saturdays, Harry found himself passing the time with Hedwig. She was wonderful, and the Owlery was nice and quiet and no students were there to bother him. To tease him. To chase him, or to tell him how he was an embarrassment to his father, or… or anything. He was alone with Hedwig most of the time, and it was… it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible.

It was better than he’d had at the Dursleys, anyway.

And so it was that Harry’s very first Christmas at Hogwarts passed much like the others had at the Dursleys, with two exceptions. He had a friend to visit with, and visit he did. Hedwig was always happy to see him, and Harry enjoyed her company greatly. She was always so affectionate, and Harry felt safe talking to her about anything and everything. And he received a gift. Just the one, but the gift he was given was so very precious to him that he would have done anything to keep it. It was an Invisibility Cloak which had belonged to his father, and he adored it.

Other than that, things were much the same as they had always been. He watched in the morning as his dorm mates opened up dozens of presents of their own, watched as they ignored him entirely. The ignoring was better than their lessons and their mockery, and to be quite honest he would take any of that over Dudley’s cruelty any day. At least when he was being ignored or mocked there was no physical pain to accompany the emotional.

But it was fine. He was at Hogwarts, he was learning magic, and he now had something that had once belonged to his father. His life was looking up. He even had a friend he could share things with, even if Hedwig couldn’t actually talk to him.

Sure, he was a little bit lonely, but that was fine. He would be just fine. This was a better life than he’d ever anticipated growing up with the Dursleys.

He didn’t need other people. He’d never had them before, why should this place be any different?

He spent that Christmas with Hedwig in the Owlery and never noticed the other person up there with him, listening to him spill out his secrets to her. He didn’t see the other person leave the Owlery, and never knew that he hadn’t actually been alone that Christmas.


	2. Second Year

By the time his second Christmas at Hogwarts had come around, things were different again. Mostly because Harry could no longer fool himself into thinking everything was okay. To start with, the Dursleys had been even more miserable this summer. He’d spent the whole time locked in Dudley’s second bedroom, being fed through a cat-flap. He’d barely been fed enough, and by the time he’d come back to Hogwarts he’d been able to count his ribs without even trying.

He still didn’t have any friends. His house-mates had stopped mocking him, actually. They ignored him now, entirely, no matter what sorts of overtures he’d attempted. And Harry was so tired of it. He just wanted a friend. He was tired of being alone, tired of being lonely, and tired of being ignored by everyone around him. He’d take the mocking to the ignoring any day. At least then people were paying attention to him. 

He wasn’t anything special, and he was okay with that, but didn’t he still deserve friends?

...Well. Friends other than Hedwig, that was to say. She remained his greatest...really, his only friend. And he loved her. And it wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful to have her, it was just that... was it so wrong of him to wish for a friend who could talk back to him? Who could go to classes with him, who could help him study, who Harry could help study even. He wasn’t picky. Any friend would do.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself, Hedwig,” Harry told his owl quietly, a week before Christmas. “I’m so tired of being alone.” Even his teachers didn’t pay that much attention to him, and that was fine, really. Better to be ignored than hated, as Professor Snape had shown him in his first ever Potions class. That had been the last time he’d ever volunteered an answer, and the Professor didn’t often call on him. None of the teachers called on him, really, especially not in the classes he shared with Granger. Other than her, there was Malfoy, and he almost always had the answers.

And to think, he’d been so determined that things would be better once he’d made it to Hogwarts. He would have friends, he’d thought. His teachers would like him. Once he was away from his cousin, he’d actually be allowed to do well in his classes, and maybe he’d even pass a few of his classes. And he was passing his classes, and doing even better than that most of the time. He really was doing well, but... He was just so tired of being alone.

“Do you...” Harry hesitated, not wanting to even ask what was on his mind. It wasn’t like she’d have a good answer anyway, but still... “Do you think there might be something wrong with me? Am I really just the freak the Dursleys always accused me of being?” he asked. Why else would he be so alone all the time? Maybe there really was something wrong with him, and that was why he never could make any friends.

Hedwig hooted disapprovingly at him and nipped reprovingly at his fingers. Sometimes it was almost like she understood him. Maybe she did, but she still couldn’t answer him verbally.

“I... I don’t think you’re a f-freak,” came a soft, hesitant stutter from behind him.

It was a voice that he recognized. “Thanks, Longbottom,” Harry said quietly. How pathetic was it that those words may just have been the nicest words he’d ever heard before?

“I don’t...” Neville paused, and Harry could hear him take a deep and bracing breath before forging ahead. “I don’t have any friends either. Maybe we could... Maybe we could be f-f-friends?” His voice broke on the last word, as though he couldn’t imagine Harry saying yes.

Harry’s eyes widened and he spun around to stare at Neville, quickly enough that Hedwig flapped off with a disapproving hoot. Neville’s head was bowed and who was stabbing one foot into the floor of the Owlery awkwardly. He looked every bit as uncomfortable as Harry felt when forced into a social situation.

“Do you mean that?” he asked, and hoped that he didn’t sound as hopeful as he felt. That would make it all the more apparent how badly he’d been hurt when this turned out to be a joke. He’d learned a long time ago to hide it when he wanted something so desperately. The Dursleys had always been particularly bad about that, offering him food and then jerking it away before he could eat.

But it wasn’t a joke, because Neville’s face was lighting up as well. “Yeah,” he said shyly, and shuffled awkwardly in place. Though it seemed like something so very small, it was the start of something fantastic, Harry was certain.

As Christmas was only a week later, the gifts they wound up exchanging were hasty but well-meant. Harry took an old shoe-box and turned it into a habitat for Trevor through a careful use of charms and transfiguration. He’d even managed to summon the courage to speak with both Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall about it, and both had been delighted to help him. The best part had been Neville’s genuine enjoyment of the gift, and Trevor’s seeming happiness with it as well. He was a toad; Harry hadn’t really expected too much of a sign.

Neville, in turn, gave Harry a cutting from one of the plants he was growing with Professor Sprout in the greenhouses. It was a beautiful plant called a Fairy Bell with pastel, multi-colored bell shaped flowers that let out a delicate tinkling and lit up when touched. Neville assured him that it was both hardy and easily cared for, and that many found both the scent and the sound to be soothing.

The plant was beautiful, Harry would agree with that. And he did find the scent and the sound of it to be magical, and the colors were beautiful. But to him, what always made him happiest when looking at the plant in the years to come, was that it had been his first present from Neville, his first ever real friend.


	3. Third Year

Between his second and third Christmas at Hogwarts there were so many changes for Harry that it made his head spin just a little bit to try and think of them.

Most importantly, Harry had a friend. When Neville had found him in the Owlery, there had been a large part of Harry that had been convinced that Neville would change his mind and they wouldn’t really be friends at all. That Neville would make friends in his own House and forget about Harry, or that his Grandmother would decide that Harry was an unsuitable friend for the heir to an Ancient and Noble pure-blooded family.

That hadn’t happened. Neville and he had studied together for the second half of the school year, and they’d spent most of their free time together. Harry had re-learned to appreciate the art of gardening, and he’d become a regular fixture in the greenhouses with Neville. He’d found that he enjoyed it quite a lot when he wasn’t being forced into it by his Aunt and Uncle, and with a friend the work seemed much more like playing in the dirt than working.

And halfway through his summer, as terrible as it normally was, Neville had invited him to come and stay at the Longbottom Manor with him. Harry had spent the rest of his summer there, quietly awkward in the presence of Neville’s rather formidable Gran, but otherwise far more at peace than he would have been at the Dursleys. They’d had a small birthday party, but other than that it was just the two of them wandering Longbottom Manor. It had been a very enjoyable summer, and Harry looked back on it fondly as the first summer he’d ever had that had been fun. He’d actually been disappointed to have to return to Hogwarts because it had meant that he could no longer spend all of his time with Neville.

And then disaster had struck at the start of his third year at Hogwarts. Last year’s Defense Professor had started a Duelling Club, and while it hadn’t quite been disastrous, it had been a close thing. Professor Lupin, the new teacher, had thought it was a fantastic idea and had continued the club. Harry and Neville had chosen to at least give it a shot, to see if maybe they could make other friends, and Harry had been chosen to duel in one of the first practice duels.

Unfortunately, somebody had summoned a snake, and apparently being able to talk to snakes wasn’t exactly a normal wizarding gift. Harry had been horrified, especially when Weasley had shouted that he’d known Harry was a Dark wizard all along. He’d looked to Neville and found his friend just as shocked as everyone else. Harry had been certain that it had meant the end of their friendship, but Neville had recovered from his shock admirably and even told Weasley off for his poor attitude.

The incident, despite making him even more of a pariah to most of the school, did have one unexpected benefit. While the other Slytherins still didn’t really talk much to him, they no longer actively snubbed him. Apparently his gift made him... suitable to converse with, if not to befriend. Harry enjoyed the slightly more cordial atmosphere, but he still spent all of his free time with Neville either in the greenhouses or in the library.

The best thing about this year, at least to Harry, was that he finally had some idea of what the magic of Christmas was all about. For the first time that he could remember, he woke up Christmas morning with a feeling of great anticipation for what was to come. He and Neville had arranged to meet in ‘their’ greenhouse to exchange their gifts after lunch, and Harry was terribly excited.

After spending a year with Neville, he’d learned quite a lot about the other wizard, and one of the things that he’d learned was that Neville knew next to nothing about Muggle plants. To that end, Harry had purchased several botany books for Neville as well as a few packets of seeds that he thought Neville might appreciate. The whole thing had been done through an owl-order service that many Muggle-borns used to purchase things from the world they left behind.

Of course, there was no guarantee that Neville would enjoy them, which is why Harry was waiting somewhat anxiously for Neville to arrive. Why was it that time always seemed to move so slowly when Harry wanted it to go faster?

“You look nervous,” Neville said quietly from the doorway to their greenhouse. He’d changed a lot over the year as he’d grown more confident around Harry. That confidence had begun to bleed into his interactions with the rest of the school as well, and now his stutter was all but gone. He was starting to act more like the pure-blooded Lord that he would be, and there was a small part of Harry that was terrified for what that meant for their friendship.

That small part of him was certain that if Neville grew more confident, he wouldn’t need Harry as a friend anymore. Harry would be left alone. Again. Harry was pretty sure that he’d never find the courage to try and make another friend if he lost Neville’s friendship.

The rest of Harry knew that he was being ridiculous. Neville was his best friend, and he was Neville’s. That would never change. “I’m just really excited,” he said finally. He smiled, unable to help himself, and bounced in place a bit. “It’s Christmas!”

Neville’s answering smile was softer, gentler, but no less joyful. “It is,” he agreed, and stepped further into the greenhouse, letting the door fall shut behind him.

Harry couldn’t wait any longer. He was pretty sure he’d never been so excited to give a gift in his life as he was right then. Since he’d only ever given two gifts before, and both of those had been to Neville, he supposed that wasn’t hard to imagine. He gestured at the small pile of brightly wrapped presents resting on one of the unused tables and said eagerly, “Go on, then, open them!”

Neville’s eyes widened at the sight of the pile and he laughed a bit. “What in Merlin’s name did you get me, Harry?” he asked through his laughter.

“Open them and find out!” Harry shot back, still bouncing a bit. He was so excited, so nervous, that he couldn’t really contain himself. He was trying, but he wasn’t used to this much excitement.

As Harry had hoped, Neville adored both the seeds and the botany books. “Once we get them planted we can keep them in the section of the greenhouse with the Singing Roses and the Fairy Bells,” he said cheerfully as he paged through one of the books.

Harry felt something cold and hard unknot in his chest. He didn’t know what he’d been worried about; of course Neville liked them. Even if he’d thought they were the silliest things ever, he still would have liked them because they came from Harry. That was just the kind of person he was. Still... “I’m really glad that you like them,” Harry said quietly, shyly.

Neville offered him a smile and said, “I have something for you as well, you know.” He pulled a book-sized, flat box wrapped in white paper with delicate silver snowflakes that glistened and moved like real snow from inside of his robes. The paper itself was lovely enough that Harry found himself loathe to touch it, much less unwrap it.

“This is for me?” he asked as he hesitantly reached out to take it.

“No, it’s for the ghost behind you,” Neville said teasingly.

Harry dropped his hand and reflexively turned to look behind himself, and when Neville laughed Harry flushed a bit in embarrassment. “Sorry,” he whispered, and ducked his head to hide his flaming cheeks.

“Harry, it’s for you,” Neville said gently, and pressed the gift into his hands. “Open it.”

With shaking fingers, Harry carefully slid his finger under the seam of the paper and peeled it back carefully. The wrapping was so pretty he really didn’t want to destroy it, despite how eager he was to see what was inside. From the size of it, he was expecting a book of some sort. Instead, there was a black jewelry box within, the elegant silver script on the top of it proclaiming it to be from The Dragon’s Treasure, a very upscale wizarding jewelry store in Diagon Alley.

According to Malfoy, his mother shopped there all the time. He’d heard the other boys discussing it one day just last month.

“N-neville,” Harry began quietly, nervously, even as his fingers gently traced the writing on the box.

“You’re my only friend, Harry,” Neville said quietly. “And I know that you aren’t used to having nice things, because I know you haven’t had the best life. I’d like the chance to change that.”

Harry stared at Neville and knew that his eyes were wide and panicked. He’d never said... but Neville wasn’t stupid. Neville wa the most observant person that Harry had ever met. “I...” Harry’s voice broke, and he cleared his throat. “It’s better now that I’m here at Hogwarts for most of the year. And now that I’ve got you as a friend.” He dropped his gaze as he spoke and stared at the box in his hands, so that he wasn’t meeting Neville’s gaze. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to handle that right then.

“Harry,” Neville said, gentle but forceful, “Open the box.”

With fingers trembling, Harry did as he was asked. The torque within was beautiful, in a masculine sense. It was made of silver thicker than Harry’s thumb with gold runes etched onto the surface separated by small rubies and emeralds.

“I don’t... I.... Neville,” Harry began, breathless at the gift and speechless as well. He couldn’t accept this. It was too much, too grand. It was wonderful, and there was no way he could keep it.

“May I?” Neville asked quietly, instead of responding to the protest.

Harry hesitantly bowed his head and shivered when he felt Neville gently settle the torque around his neck. It locked into place, and a warmth, sweet and gentle and kind and perfect swept through him.

“Neville, this is too much. I can’t-” Harry cut off abruptly as the feeling of warmth and affection swelled. Harry’s breath left him in a small, startled gasp. He’d never felt anything like this before. His eyes fluttered shut as he enjoyed the feelings coming from the torque.

“Do you know what this is, Harry?” Neville asked, his hands resting on Harry’s shoulders and holding him in place.

Which was a good thing, really, because Harry was ready to bolt. He knew what this was. He’d heard of things like this, of course, from Malfoy and Zabini and Nott. He’d not wanted those lessons at the time, but now he was very grateful for them, for the fact that he wouldn’t look like so much of an idiot.

Harry kept his eyes closed as he breathed, “Courtship gift,” in a hesitant answer to Neville’s question. If he was wrong...

“That’s right,” Neville said quietly, eliminating that possibility. “Will you accept?” he asked.

Harry panicked. “I c-can’t!” he gasped out, and jerked away, his eyes flying open. His hands were shaking as he lifted them to take off the torque. But when his fingers touched the metal, he could feel another rush of warmth and kindness and affection that made his hands drop once more.

Harry had learned about Courtships, yes. They were typically performed between a greater pure-blood family, generally one of the Noble lines, and a lesser line. There were very rigid rules with a formal structure of gifts which was designed to show how well the Suitor could provide for the Intended, beginning always with a piece of jewelry. That first gift was meant to show the regard the Suitor had for the Intended as well as highlighting the status of both parties. That the jewelry be enchanted to give the Intended an idea of the Suitor’s regard was rare, but well within the rules of Courtship.

That Harry was a half-blood orphan with only one small vault to his name certainly wasn’t within the rules. It was unheard of. He would disgrace the Longbottom name.

“I’m n-not suitable,” he breathed out, and turned away from Neville. He still couldn’t bring himself to take the torque off, however.

“Don’t care,” Neville answered immediately. “You’re the only one who could be suitable for me, Harry. You’re my only friend, and I...” Neville paused, then continued shyly, “I really like you.”

“Your... your grandmother?” Harry asked, something desperate like want blooming inside of him. He tried to push it away, but he couldn’t quite make it stop.

“Approves,” Neville answered immediately. “She thinks that Harry Potter could be nothing less than suitable, blood status or no. And you know that I don’t really care all that much about your blood, or your money.” Neville’s arms curled around his waist, then. “So what do you say?” he asked, his chin resting on Harry’s shoulder and his cheek pressed against Harry’s.

Harry sighed. He couldn’t fight this. It was everything he’d ever wanted, being handed to him just like that. A chance for a family of his own, and proof that he would always have his best friend. “I say that Harry Longbottom sounds a bit peculiar,” he murmured, even as he relaxed into Neville’s hold. “But I suppose I’ll learn how to deal with it.”

When Neville laughed, it was a thing of joy. This had to be the best Christmas ever, even if it hadn’t gone quite the way that Harry had expected it to.

And when he returned to the Slytherin dorms with his new torque around his neck and his head held high, well, it was almost worth their casual dislike of him to see jaws dropping as the older students realized what the torque meant.


	4. Fourth Year

Christmas in Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts was the most different of them all, mostly because he wasn’t actually at Hogwarts for the holiday.

Apparently he had a Godfather who had been serving time in prison for the murder of twelve muggles and one wizard. The only problem was that, apparently, he’d never been tried for his alleged crimes. The wizards in charge right after the end of the war had just assumed he’d been guilty, and had thrown him into Azkaban. Thirteen years later, just after Harry had returned to the Dursleys for a miserable summer, a clerk in the Ministry had discovered Sirius Black’s nonexistent trial, and had immediately gone to his superiors with the information.

Harry sort of found it interesting that it was a Weasley who had found the information, considering that Ron Weasley hated him with a passion that Harry would previously have thought only the Dursleys could hate him with.

Current Ministry officials were mortified, and Sirius had received a trial almost immediately. Well, relatively speaking. It took several weeks for the trial to be completed and for Sirius to be declared innocent of all charges with a full apology from the Ministry, and then another month until Sirius had recovered enough to be released from the Healers at St. Mungo’s. From there, Sirius had apparently gone after Dumbledore with everything he’d had, since Dumbledore was the Executor of the Potters’ will, and apparently Harry never should have gone to be with the Dursleys under any circumstances.

That wasn’t even mentioning that, as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore should have made certain that Sirius received a trial. Harry hadn’t known any of this prior to the summer, but he’d learned a lot during the fallout. The Daily Prophet was incredibly informative when it was actually reporting accurately.

Of course, he learned of the final results before anybody else. His Godfather had shown up on the Dursleys’ doorstep towards the end of the summer and ordered him to pack his bags as he’d finally gained custody of Harry. Harry had done so with no objection, and the rest of summer had turned out to be one of the best ever. His Godfather adored him, and had spoiled him rotten for most of it. He’d even invited Neville over for the Quidditch World Cup and the two weeks surrounding it.

And when he’d returned to Hogwarts, things had been incredibly different. The Headmaster had resigned over the summer. The reason he’d given was that he was an old, tired man who had only been trying to make the best of a bad situation. He’d said that he’d made mistakes that he regretted, and that he hoped the children of the Wizarding world would do better with another person to guide them. He’d lost his position in the Wizengamot as well over Sirius’ lack of trial, and was quite the persona non grata in the Wizarding world at the moment. That left Professor McGonagall in charge, and elevated Professor Snape to Deputy Headmaster. It was quite the change for the school, but Harry thought that maybe it was a good one.

The second change apparently came from his sudden status as a member of pure-blood House, despite the fact that he wasn’t technically a Black. Suddenly the Slytherins were downright friendly with him. Malfoy had even offered him a Courtship gift. Harry had damned politeness and had flung it back in his face. Literally. He’d drawn blood with it. Neville had laughed when he’d told him about it.

Other than that, the year had been relatively quiet. There were some rumors of the Tri-wizard Tournament coming back, but it hadn’t come to fruition. Apparently the school being in such a state of flux made it a bad time all around, and there was a good chance that it would come next year instead. Harry enjoyed the school year, and he was looking forward to Christmas break as well, even if it meant that he wouldn’t see Neville on Christmas day.

And he did enjoy his break with Sirius. His Godfather took him to one of the Black family homes hidden inside London proper. They spent the first few days their break doing some of the fun things in London that Harry had never had a chance to do and that Sirius had missed in his years in prison. They rode on the London Eye, went to the Tower of London and Sirius took him through the Wizarding sections, and they saw a play at one of the Muggle theaters. It was wonderful, but exhausting, which was why Harry found himself quite relieved when Sirius told him that they’d just be having a nice, quiet dinner alone on Christmas Eve.

They were through the first course when Sirius cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, Harry,” he began, and shifted in place.

“What is it?” Harry asked, and grinned at his Godfather. He couldn’t help it. Despite missing Neville fiercely, there seemed to be a grin almost permanently stuck to his face these days. He was just so happy to have a Godfather of his own, and to never have to deal with the Dursleys again. Sirius had promised that, no matter what, he was there to stay.

“You... You’re enjoying it here, with me, right?” Sirius asked, and took a hasty sip of his wine.

“It’s been wonderful,” Harry said honestly.

“Good, good,” Sirius muttered. “So, I’m your Godfather, and I do have legal custody of you, but I was wondering if...” Here Sirius stopped, stared down at his plate, then continued with, “I was wondering if maybe you might like to make things a bit more... solid. Magically speaking, that is.”

Harry frowned. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” he finally said, and stared down at his own plate as well. Had he done something wrong? Was that what this was about? Maybe... but no. Sirius had asked if he wanted to make things more solid, which meant that he wanted to keep Harry around.

Sirius cleared his throat again, then took another gulp of his wine. He was pale, and his hands were trembling on the glass. “There’s... there’s this ritual that we could do, you and I, on New Year’s Eve. It’s a special, magical thing that would make you a Black, legally speaking. Magically speaking. You would... you would be my son. It’s an adoption ritual.”

“My... my parents wouldn’t be my parents anymore?” Harry asked, and was surprised by the way that his voice shook. He hadn’t thought that he cared so much about that. They were dead, after all, and though they hadn’t left him with the Dursleys they certainly hadn’t made that many contingency plans.

“Well...” Sirius exhaled sharply and was very quiet for a few moments. “They would be, I suppose. You would still be the Potter heir. But you would also be the Black heir, and you would legally become a pure-blood. It would be more like...” Sirius stopped, considered what he was saying once more, and then his face lit up. “It would be like you had two fathers and a mother, instead of just having the one of each. I wouldn’t be replacing them, I would be joining them. But you would share the status of your father and I, because there are two of us. It’s… complicated. I get lost studying the theory. Oh, Merlin, I’m babbling. I should stop that. I should let you think so you can answer.” Sirius fell silent, then, and stared down at his plate.

Harry thought about Sirius’ offer over the next few courses of dinner, and the table was awkwardly silent while Harry considered. Sirius opened his mouth a few times to say something, probably to change the subject or do anything to break the silence, but he never actually got around to saying much of anything.

Finally, as he was finishing up his dessert, Harry said, “I would be honored to have you as one of my fathers, Sirius Black.”

Sirius let out a whoop of joy and sprung up from his chair. Before Harry knew what was going on, Sirius had him in his arms and was spinning him around in a circle, Harry’s feet not even touching the ground. “You don’t even know how happy that makes me!” Sirius crowed, and planted a kiss on Harry’s forehead before settling him gently on the ground. “You won’t regret this, Pup, I promise!”

Harry laughed, a light and happy sound. “I don’t know, maybe I already do,” he said teasingly, and laughed when Sirius roughly tousled his hair.

He went to bed that night with a smile on his face and a song in his heart, despite knowing that he wouldn’t see Neville the next afternoon. Now he really couldn’t wait to get back to Hogwarts to tell Neville about this new development. He just hoped that Neville was as happy for him as Harry was about this.

When he woke up the next morning, it was to an excited Padfoot jumping around on his bed, barking madly at him. When Harry finally sat up, Padfoot slurped madly at his face for a minute before hopping off the bed and barking some more.

“Gross!” Harry protested through his laughter, and wiped the slobber off. “You’re disgusting, Sirius,” he complained through a yawn.

Sirius transformed back, laughing madly. “How can you still be asleep at ten o’clock on Christmas morning?” he asked. “It’s like you aren’t even a child, Harry!”

Harry fought down the urge to remind Sirius that this year marked the third year of Christmases he’d actually been looking forward to celebrating. It would only upset his Godfather, and Harry didn’t want to bring the mood down on Christmas morning. Instead he said, “You know, I’m still technically on my winter break. I think one of the rules is that I’m allowed to sleep as late as I want to sleep.”

“And ordinarily I would agree with that,” Sirius said cheerfully. “But it’s ten o’clock, and we’ve got guests waiting for us downstairs. You should probably get dressed so that you don’t look like an idiot when you greet them.”

Harry paled, then flushed. “You could have told me we were having company!” he shouted, even as he headed to the bathroom. Merlin, he was a mess! He had to take a quick shower and get himself dressed. He didn’t want to embarrass Sirius so soon after his Godfather had decided to adopt him, after all.

“It’s a Christmas surprise, Harry!” Sirius shouted, and laughed that dog-like laugh of his. “And your first present, by the way, will be laid out for you when you’re done with your shower. Do me a favor and wear that downstairs, would you?”

“Will do!” he called back, and rolled his eyes. He hoped that it wasn’t one of the appalling Muggle Christmas sweaters they’d passed in the shops during their explorations. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand wearing one of them, and knowing Sirius there was every possibility that was what he was getting.

He took as fast a shower as he dared, and dried off briskly. He ran a brush through his hair and hoped that it didn’t look as miserable as he knew it did. The raspberry the mirror blew at him certainly didn’t help with that. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he nearly dropped his towel in surprise. There was a stand in the middle of the room, like one he’d seen in Madam Malkin’s shop, and on it was one of the most beautiful set of dress robes he’d ever seen.

They were a deep, dark grey like the sky just before a thunderstorm. When Harry hesitantly touched the fabric the colors shifted just a bit to a slightly lighter shade of grey. The under-robes were simple and black, but still somehow looked expensive. Maybe it was just because Harry had never owned anything so fine in his life, other than the torque Neville had gifted him, which he hadn’t taken off since the day he’d received it.

Okay. So their guests were pretty important, and Sirius wanted him to dress for the occasion. That was more than a little frightening, but it was okay. He trusted Sirius to not have brought anyone to the house that Harry was uncomfortable with, at least, not on Christmas day. Maybe it was one of Sirius’ old girlfriends? Maybe a current girlfriend? Or boyfriend, actually, since he wasn’t quite sure how his Godfather leaned. That was just about the only thing that Harry could think of, anyway.

He got dressed slowly and carefully, then made his way down to the sitting room. Sirius was waiting for him just outside, wearing dress robes of his own. His Godfather looked quite handsome in his solid black robes, with a roguish grin on his face.

“Shall we?” Sirius asked, and waited until Harry nodded before opening the doors to the sitting room. “Lady Longbottom, may I present to you my soon-to-be Heir, Harry Potter?” he asked as he entered the room.

Harry’s heart jumped as he found Neville and his grandmother waiting for them in the sitting room. Neville was dressed just as nicely as Harry, in navy blue dress robes. His grandmother wore a gown of cream with just a hint of sparkle to it. And both were smiling brightly at him.

“Hi,” he managed, attacked by a sudden wave of shyness. He ducked his head when Sirius laughed and fought the urge to elbow his Godfather, who was still standing by the door. “It isn’t funny,” he hissed.

“It is,” Sirius insisted. “You’re adorable. Seriously.”

Harry fought down a groan at the pun and didn’t bother to fight the urge to reach behind him and smack his Godfather. Puns like that were never to be encouraged. His Godfather was ruthless with them.

“Happy Christmas, Harry,” Neville said, and Harry’s eyes snapped back to his Suitor. Neville had crossed the room and was standing before him, looking for all the world like he wanted to give Harry a hug. A moment later he apparently decided that resisting the urge was useless because he curled his arms around Harry and whispered in his ear, “Congratulations on your impending adoption. I’m so pleased for you.”

“Oh, Augusta was right. You two are adorable together,” Sirius crowed. “You’re so cute together I might even overlook the fact that technically this Courship’s been all wrong for the Heir to the Black house.”

Harry paled and turned around to stare at Sirius. “What do you mean?” he asked, his hands beginning to shake. Did Sirius not approve of Neville? What if Sirius wanted him to give up the Courtship? He couldn’t do that. He was young, yes, and foolish, but he was already starting to think of crazy things like love and forever with Neville.

“Technically speaking, the Black house is higher in the ranks of Ancient and Noble houses than the Longbottom house. It has been around since before the founding of Hogwarts itself, whereas we Longbottoms can only trace our lineage back to the early sixteen hundreds,” Augusta answered. “But I believe that Lord Black and I have come to an agreement regarding the matter of the Courtship.”

“Indeed we have, which is part of the reason you both are here today,” Sirius said agreeably. “It wasn’t just because Harry pouted every time he thought I couldn’t see him because you wouldn’t see each other on Christmas day. The Courtship will continue as is, but at the end of it, Neville, you’ll be taking on the Black name instead of carrying on the Longbottom line. You’ve got a few cousins who will be able to take on the responsibilities of Lord Longbottom, whereas I’ll likely only have Harry as my heir.”

Harry felt Neville’s arms tighten around him. “Gran already explained this to me, Lord Black, but I thank you for the second explanation. I’ll tell you exactly what I told her: It will be an honor to be Neville Black, so long as I get to stay with Harry.”

Harry let himself lean back against Neville with a small sigh of relief. Everything had worked out just fine. He really had to stop panicking at the smallest sign that something was going to go wrong. So far nothing had. And it was clear that Neville intended for this to be forever just like Harry did.

The rest of Christmas day passed in a flurry of laughter and family and presents. Harry received such a haul of gifts from Sirius that he didn’t know what to do with it all, and couldn’t remember half of it by the time the day was over. The best of that was a broom of his own, a lovely Firebolt. He wasn’t on the Quidditch team, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy the freedom that came with flight. 

Harry had purchased a snow globe for Neville this year, an enchanted one that contained a rose which bloomed as the day progressed and played a soft tune when touched. Neville loved it, just as Harry adored the utterly frivolous gift of a massive stuffed dragon that Neville had purchased for him. He even intended on taking it to Hogwarts, despite Sirius’ advice. Fortunately the thing would shrink down to a slightly more manageable size so that his housemates wouldn’t see it when he brought it into the dorm, and Harry had long since learned to keep his bed safe from any sort of tampering.

In the end, Neville and Augusta stayed all the way through Christmas dinner and the house was filled with laughter and warmth and joy. Harry was certain that he’d never enjoyed a holiday so much as he enjoyed that one.


	5. Fifth Year

Harry’s fifth Christmas as a wizard turned out to be just as exciting as all the others, though it had a rocky start. The school did indeed host the Triwizard Tournament that year, and Harry had greatly enjoyed watching the first task safely from the sidelines. He’d been even happier that neither a Gryffindor nor a Slytherin had been chosen to be the Hogwarts Champion because that meant that he could sit with Neville and cheer Cedric on with no fear of reprisal from his housemates.

Not that he wouldn’t have sat with Neville and cheered anyway, but it was nice to know that he didn’t have to worry about it. And not that his housemates would have dared to do anything against him now, anyway. As of New Year’s Eve last year Harry Potter had officially become Harry Black, which put him on the same level, socially speaking, as Malfoy. Which meant that he’d gone from being still mostly ignored within his house to being courted for favors from older and younger members of his house. His year-mates had, thankfully, not even bothered trying. They’d known that they’d ruined their chances with Harry long ago.

He wasn’t interested in being friends with people just because of his or their connections, as he’d shown with his response to Malfoy’s attempted Courtship last year.

But yes, other than that small hiccup, the year had been going quite well for Harry. He was fully prepared for his OWLS at the end of the year, and he was looking forward to another great Christmas spent with Neville and Sirius and even Neville’s grandmother. Sirius had written him and warned him that there would be a few others joining them this year, a disowned cousin, her Muggle-born husband, and their daughter. Harry thought they sounded fantastic and couldn’t wait to meet them.

Then they’d announced the traditional Yule Ball.

Harry had been entirely unprepared for the flurry of invitations he’d received. He’d thought it was pretty obvious that he was involved in a very serious formal Courtship, but apparently not. He’d also thought that he’d made his opinions of pretty much everyone else perfectly clear by then, but the opposite seemed to be the truth. Many of the pure-bloods in the school seemed to take his rejection of Malfoy as a challenge, and he found himself with offers coming in every day to either escort him or to be escorted by him to the Ball.

It didn’t take long for it to reach a point where Harry used his Invisibility Cloak to get to and from classes, and to start eating his meals in the kitchens, alone. He would have done anything to make the offers stop, no matter how difficult it made things. And sneaking was, actually, difficult. The hardest part of it was explaining to his fellow students just how, exactly, he’d managed to get from the Great Hall to his class without being seen. 

The silver lining, so to speak, of all this madness was that he got to eat his meals with Neville, which was something they hadn’t enjoyed outside of summer and winter breaks before. For the past three weeks they’d enjoyed all of their meals in the kitchens together, and though Harry was enjoying it, he was looking forward to going home where he wouldn’t have to deal with this insanity.

It was over one such meal, close to the start of Christmas break, when Neville said quietly, “So, Gran thinks that the Ball would be a good chance for us to make a public appearance together.”

Harry froze, his spoon halfway to his lips, and then set it down. “Sirius said the same thing,” he admitted reluctantly. “But I’d really rather just go home for the holiday.”

Neville leaned forward and grabbed Harry’s hand. “You know that we’re going to have to do this soon enough,” he said gently. “You’re the Black heir, Harry, which means that even as lax as Sirius is, you’ll have duties. And a lot of those duties are going to involve public appearances. Especially events like the Yule Ball.”

Harry fidgeted in his seat and stared down at his bowl of slowly melting ice cream. “So you’re saying we should go,” he said finally, and hesitantly glanced up at Neville.

“I’m saying we should go,” Neville said agreeably. “It’ll be a good time, and I promise that I won’t leave your side the entire night. And it might have the benefit of getting some of those offers you’ve been receiving to stop if you start telling people that you’ve already got someone to go with rather than saying you’re not staying for the Ball.”

Harry glanced back down at his bowl then looked up with a small grin. “If I say yes to this, can we keep eating here in the kitchens? Even after Christmas break?”

Neville laughed and nodded. “As long as we aren’t getting in trouble for it, absolutely,” he said agreeably. “You don’t think you’re the only one enjoying these meals, do you?”

Harry laughed and went back to eating his ice cream, his heart lightened by the exchange.

As Neville had predicted, once he started telling students that he was already taken for the Yule Ball, the offers slowly stopped. Of course, those were replaced by unceasing questions asking him who he was going with, whether he’d been the one who’d asked or if he’d been asked, and whether he thought the relationship was serious or not.

Those questions were almost as exhausting as the ones about going to the Ball, and so Harry took to ignoring them all. That was apparently the wrong decision because it made him seem even more mysterious to his fellow students and they took to hassling him even more. It was an exasperating cycle, and Harry was grateful that he had his Invisibility Cloak, the kitchens, and the greenhouse to retreat to. It made him almost impossible to find at the best of times.

The evening of the Yule Ball, Harry had finally managed to get himself ready in the dress robes Sirius had purchased for him last Christmas when he was stopped by Zabini. “Can I help you?” he asked frostily. The other boy was standing in the middle of the door to their dorm, not moving. And the expression on his face was one of... well, if Harry was going to be honest, it was one of hunger, and it was very disconcerting.

“Do you even realize what you’ve done to this school, Black?” Zabini asked, even as he stayed put right in the middle of the doorway.

“I realize that I need you to move. My date is waiting for me downstairs,” Harry said flatly. There was nobody else in the dorm with him at the moment. All of the others had either gone home for the break, in the case of Crabbe and Goyle, or were already presumably at the Ball with their dates, in the case of Malfoy and Nott.

“You’ve elevated yourself to such a high status among us, and you don’t even seem to care,” Zabini said, his voice soft and wondering. “How is it that you simply don’t see the rest of us?” He took a step into the room, then, and asked, “Are you blind to what you’ve done to the student body by becoming the Black heir?”

That he was no longer standing in the doorway wasn’t exactly a comfort to Harry, because now Zabini was closer. “The student body didn’t care about me when I was just the half-blood who’d done something moderately impressive in his youth. Why should I care about what they think now that I’ve got a family to back me up?”

Zabini chuckled softly. “There were those of us that noticed you before you took on your new position,” he said quietly, confidingly. “But we never dared speak up. It would have been unseemly. But now, Black, now we can speak up all we want. Now, you’re... acceptable to the rest of society. And I would take you as my own.”

Harry’s lips curled into a snarl and he said, quite honestly, “I would kill you in your sleep, Zabini. I’m already spoken for, and there is nothing you can do to change my mind on that matter.”

“Oh, I know about the Courtship,” Zabini said with an airy wave of his hand. “We all do. That torque around your neck speaks well of his regard for you. But whoever it is can’t be all that spectacular, after all, the Courtship began when you were still a nothing and a no one. You can do so much better than that now, Black.”

Harry shook his head. “That you think of my time before becoming Harry Black as being a nothing tells me all I need to know about you, Zabini. I’m even less interested than I was before.” Harry hesitated, then added, “Considering that I wasn’t at all interested earlier that’s a pretty impressive feat.” Harry drew his wand, then, and asked, “Are you going to move, then, or do I have to move you?”

Harry worked hard in all of his classes, absolutely, and did well in all of them. The one class he’d always excelled in with the least effort had been Defence Against the Dark Arts, which also happened to be one of Zabini’s weakest classes. There was no doubt in Harry’s mind that he could move the other boy if he had to, though he certainly hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Hexing a fellow student was always frowned upon, no matter the circumstances.

Zabini’s face, meanwhile, had twisted into an ugly snarl. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” he asked.

“You do remember what I did with Malfoy’s Courtship gift last year, right?” Harry asked, one eyebrow rising. “If I threw that back in his face, whatever made you believe that I would even be willing to hear you out?”

“Zabini’s never been the brightest among us,” came Malfoy’s voice from the doorway, and he entered the room. He, too, had his wand drawn and pointed at Zabini. “If he were, he would recall that you are now the Black heir, and are therefore my cousin. That makes me obligated to intervene on your behalf. The Malfoy family honor demands it.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Zabini snarled, and drew his wand as well. “You know how much better for him I could be than whoever he’s chosen. You know that I’m right, Draco!”

Malfoy... no, Draco shrugged. “Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. But I don’t see him willing to entertain any offers from you.” He nodded at the door, then, and said, “Your date’s downstairs. I let him into the common room when it became clear that you were running a bit late.” He hesitated, then said, “You could certainly do a lot worse.”

“It’s weird for you to be nice to me,” Harry blurted out before he could think about what he was saying. And then he shook his head, remembered his manners, and said, “Thank you very much for your assistance.”

“We’re family. That’s what families do,” Draco said with a shrug. “Now go. Astoria will wait for me, while your date is probably being interrogated by the girls. And no offense to him, because you’ve done a great job building his confidence, but I don’t think he’s quite ready for that.”

“Thanks,” Harry said, then hurried from the room before anyone could change his mind.

As he was leaving he heard Draco saying, “So, Zabini, let’s discuss what exactly you were planning on doing to my innocent cousin all alone in our dormitory, and let’s also discuss the reasons that you’ll give for why you won’t be returning to Hogwarts at the end of the break, shall we?”

When he arrived in the common room, Neville was sitting on one of the armchairs by the fire, looking perfectly serene despite the obvious inquisition that was going on around him. The elder Greengrass sister, Parkinson, and Bulstrode had him cornered and were peppering him with questions while their dates looked on in amusement. Neville seemed to be handling himself admirably, although he did look incredibly grateful when he spotted Harry.

He rose to his feet immediately and offered Harry his arm, drawing squeals from several of the girls. “Shall we go, then?”

“You realize that I’m not looking forward to this,” Harry said dryly, even as he took Neville’s arm. He really, really wasn’t looking forward to this at all. But Neville had promised to be with him the entire time, and really, what more could he want? He just hoped that he didn’t embarrass them both terribly during the dancing part of the evening. Sirius had made him take lessons over the summer, and Harry was relatively confident in his ability, but still...

“I realize that we’re going to have a wonderful time in spite of that fact,” Neville said cheerfully.

“Then I guess we’d better get moving before we’re late,” Harry said, although he was pretty sure it was too late on that count. With his luck they’d arrive after the Ball had already begun and everybody would stare at them. He really wasn’t looking forward to that.

Harry was wrong on one count. They didn’t arrive too late to the Ball, and the dancing had not, in fact, already begun. Unfortunately, when he arrived on Neville’s arm, he still drew the stares of just about everybody in the room. That was pretty terrifying for Harry and he had to fight the urge to flee from the Great Hall. He was so nervous he barely took in the beautiful decorations that had transformed the Hall.

“Relax,” Neville breathed into his ear, “And smile for the crowd. You really don’t want to look as if you’re hating this because otherwise you’ll never live it down.”

Harry closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to do as Neville had suggested. He didn’t like being stared at, and he didn’t like being the center of attention. After so long going unnoticed by the students, this year had been particularly difficult on him. Hopefully it would die down if the students realized that he was in a very serious Courtship, and hopefully the date requests would stop as well. The possibility of that very thing was the only thing that kept Harry in that room and put a smile on Harry’s face.

“I hate this so much,” Harry breathed through the relaxed, easy smile he’d put on. “And I’m never doing this again.” He was still tense, but growing less so by the minute.

“That’s absolutely untrue. When you’re Lord Black, you’ll be doing things like this just about once a month, if not once a week.” Neville sounded entirely unbothered by Harry’s ire, as he always seemed to be.

Harry was very grateful for that, actually. That he could be as... as mercurial as he wanted to, and Neville would always even him out. Neville’s steadiness was one of the many reasons that Harry loved Neville. But just because Harry loved Neville didn’t mean he approved of what Neville had just said, no matter how right Neville was.

“I’m well aware of that. But that doesn’t mean that I have to enjoy this. I just have to look like I’m enjoying it,” Harry said cheerfully.

Neville laughed softly. “You’re right,” he said. “I think you’ll find it easier to look like you’re enjoying yourself if you actually are, however.” Before Harry could respond, Neville was offering a smile to the first person to step forward to speak with them.

The rest of the Ball passed rather swiftly to Harry’s surprise. There was the opening dance performed by the Champions, followed by dancing for everyone coupled with a feast of epic proportions. He’d enjoyed the food, and to his great shock, he’d enjoyed the dancing with Neville almost as much. He hadn’t cared for it during his lessons, but apparently all it took was the right partner.

He also had the extreme pleasure of watching Weasley blow up at Krum’s date, Granger. Apparently Weasley had wanted to attend with her, and she’d apparently already agreed to go with Krum. Weasley took that as a personal offence, and from Harry’s dealings with him, that seemed to be the norm for him. The explosion was spectacular, and the school shifted quickly to talking about both that and the fact that the most annoying student in school had been Krum’s date to the Ball. And the fact that Granger emerged from it with a Courtship gift made Harry’s own Courtship with Neville seem positively normal.

The rest of Harry’s Christmas break passed in a spectacularly normal fashion after that. He and Neville spent their time at the greenhouse, and when Christmas day rolled around they exchanged small gifts in the greenhouse as was their sort of tradition. Well. They gave each other relatively small gifts. Harry gave Neville a sapling from an incredibly rare Muggle tree. There were only a handful of the trees left in the Muggle world, and Harry had to pay a small fortune to get his hands on one for Neville. Neville, in turn, gave Harry a far more priceless gift: the gift of a pensieve memory from Headmistress McGonagall that contained her meetings with his parents to guide them into their future careers, as well as a meeting with Harry’s father and his three best friends. It was absolutely amazing to see his Godfather and his father interacting, and Harry emerged from the memory with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

While the first part of the holiday hadn’t been anything close to his favorite, the second half had been incredible. Considering the way that it had begun, Harry was surprised to find that he wouldn’t have traded that Christmas for anything in the world.


	6. Sixth Year

Due to the insanity surrounding Granger’s Courtship with Krum and Weasley protesting it every step of the way, the rest of Harry’s fifth year went perfectly. Everybody was too busy watching that drama unfold to pay attention to boring old Harry Black and his almost mundane Courtship with Neville Longbottom. The fact that technically Harry should be courting Neville was nowhere near as scandalous as the fact that Granger was a Muggle-born, or that Weasley was actually making an attempt at Courting her himself.

Even better was the fact that Zabini really hadn’t returned to the school after Malfoy’s conversation with him. He’d disappeared the night of the Yule Ball and hadn’t been back to wizarding Britain since. According to Witch Weekly, he’d enrolled in Durmstrang instead, leading to rampant speculation that the Zabini family never commented on. Harry was equally happy to let the matter rest, now that Zabini was nowhere near him.

The OWL exams were, of course, stressful. But Harry and Neville had spent so much time studying that they really were well prepared. The worst part of the whole thing, other than the amount of exams all crammed into such a short amount of time, was the nerve-racking wait they would have for their results. Harry wasn’t too concerned because he knew he’d done well, but he was still more than a little nervous. Just because he wanted to do well, so that Sirius would be truly proud of him. Even if Sirius would be proud of him, no matter what.

Harry’s summer was like nothing he’d ever done before, as Sirius took him travelling for most of it. He loved the time they spent in different Black properties around the world, especially since Neville joined them for most of their tour. For Harry, who had never really travelled anywhere before, it was the one of the best summers ever. Apparently Sirius had wanted to take him last summer, but had also wanted to give him time to adjust.

The last part of the summer he could have done without, as he and Sirius stayed in Malfoy Manor for a week without Neville. Harry had been forced to socialize with his new cousin who, even if he had defended Harry from Zabini in the dormitories, was still pretty insufferable. But he tolerated it, and by the end of the week he was almost getting along with Draco. It was really weird. At the end of his visit to Malfoy Manor, he still had a week to rest and relax before school started.

And at the end of summer, of course, his OWL results came in. Harry was quite pleased with his scores, and had managed to keep up every single class he was interested in, including Potions. Professor Snape, no matter how much he disliked Harry personally, couldn’t possibly force him from the class with his Outstanding mark.

The start of school itself was wonderful. There was no more stress to study for his OWLs, although now there was the ever-present reminder that his NEWTs were only two years away. But Harry figured he’d done well enough on his OWLs and he would do well enough on his NEWTs as well. He and Neville would do just fine. Besides, he apparently had a career ready and waiting for him once he was out of Hogwarts.

As the Black Heir, he would have to be educated in a number of things that weren’t taught at Hogwarts. Sirius had even gone through the classes, despite being practically disowned by his family during his years at school. Harry would be taught estate management and politics and wizarding law. It was all designed to prepare him for when he would eventually take over as Lord Black and take his seats on the Wizengamot and the Hogwarts Board of Governors.

Harry supposed it was a good thing that all of that actually sounded quite interesting to him, because Sirius had informed him that he didn’t really have much of a choice about it happening. Sirius himself was entirely uninterested in either position, but didn’t want to leave the seats unfilled. Had Harry proven to be as uninterested as Sirius himself was, Sirius had planned on passing his votes off to somebody who would use them in ways that didn’t infuriate him. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary.

By the time Christmas rolled around, Harry was more than ready for a nice, quiet break with Sirius at home at Black Manor. And that was exactly what Sirius had promised him: a nice, quiet break. When he arrived home, it was just himself and Sirius, and the house elves of course.

It was over dinner that Sirius asked hesitantly, “So, I know that I promised you a quiet Christmas, but I was wondering if you might be up to doing some... some family things over the break. And maybe meeting a few people. Nothing too strenuous, just... just family.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t think I’m not on to you, Sirius Black,” he said even as he wagged his spoon at Sirius threateningly. “You always wait to ask me the awkward questions until I’m eating. Do you think I’ll be more pliable with food?”

“All young boys are more pliable with food,” Sirius said with a scoff. “And since you’re a teenager, I expect that to be even more so the case.” He cleared his throat, took a sip of his pumpkin juice, and said, “But honestly. I promise that it won’t be anything stressful, and you’re more than welcome to have Neville with you for the entire event. I’d just like you to meet my cousin Andromeda, her husband, and their daughter Nymphadora. You were supposed to meet them last Christmas, but there was that whole Yule Ball thing. And I’d like you to maybe to meet somebody very important to me, too.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Sirius, have you been dating somebody?” he asked in his most scandalized tone. He forced a look of disapproval onto his face, though inside he was jumping for joy. Sirius was dating somebody. That could only be a good thing.

“I... the possibility exists,” Sirius said weakly, and stared down at his plate. “C’mon, Harry, what do you say? Won’t you meet them with me?”

“Sirius,” Harry said gently, all teasing gone from his voice, “You don’t even have to ask. I’d be happy to meet whoever it is that you’re seeing, and I’d love to meet the cousin who actually did manage to get herself disowned.”

Sirius let out a relieved laugh. “That’s great, because Andy’s bringing the family over tomorrow and... and my...” Here Sirius paused, cleared his throat, and said, “My… my boyfriend is coming in a week, for dinner on Christmas Eve. And Neville’s going to be visiting starting tomorrow for at least the rest of the week, maybe longer depending.”

“It’s a really good thing I said yes, then, isn’t it?” Harry asked, unable to stop the smile from blooming across his face. He’d gone from being an orphan with no family and no friends, and now he had a surplus of family and the best friend anyone could ask for. How could this possibly go wrong?

And of course it didn’t. Andromeda and Ted Tonks were wonderful people, and their daughter Nymphadora turned out to be fantastic. She helped Harry and Neville initiate a prank war with Sirius which, by the end of the day, had been declared a draw. Harry had never managed to draw Sirius on his own, and Neville just wasn’t all that good at pranking.

When they went home, Harry was almost sorry to see them go. He didn’t have long to miss them, however, because it was Christmas Eve and Sirius’ boyfriend was coming over. Harry and Neville were sitting in the living room, snuggled up in front of Sirius’ very Muggle television set, when somebody knocked on the door.

As Sirius was still getting ready upstairs, Harry called out, “I’ve got it!” and went to answer the door.

He opened the door and frowned. He hadn’t… Huh. “Professor Lupin,” he said hesitantly. Sirius was dating his old Professor? That was… interesting.

“Hello Harry,” the Professor said, and offered him a gentle smile. “I take it that Sirius didn’t warn you that I was coming?”

“He mentioned that his boyfriend was coming, but he failed to mention that you were his boyfriend,” Harry said. “Please, won’t you come in?” he asked, remembering his manners. He stepped back and ushered the Professor inside. “Can I take your coat?”

“Thank you, Harry,” Professor Lupin said with a beaming smile. “I see that somebody’s been teaching you manners, because I know Sirius hasn’t.”

“Oi! Moony, how cruel of you, to malign me to my very own godson! You should be ashamed of yourself!” Sirius exclaimed from the top of the stairs. He rushed down the stairs, then, almost tripping on the last step. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Do we look that silly when we grin at each other?” Neville asked in a stage whisper to Harry.

“Merlin, I hope not,” Harry answered. The two had the dopiest grins on their faces. It was adorable, but they looked ridiculous.

“You two are horrible,” Sirius said, then leaned forward and kissed the Professor briefly on the lips. “And you look even worse than us, for the record.”

“Isn’t there some sort of rule about not kissing in front of your adopted child? Especially when you’re kissing one of his favorite professors?” Harry protested, averting his eyes.

“Don’t know, don’t care!” Sirius sang. “I’m a grown adult who isn’t in the middle of a Courtship. I get to do what I want, and that includes kissing my boyfriend in front of my kids.” Sirius stuck his tongue out at them.

Harry laughed softly. “You’re an idiot,” he said fondly.

A small throat cleared by the entrance to the dining room. “Dinner is ready,” Emsy, Sirius’ house elf, said quietly. She offered them a reserved smile.

Harry much preferred her to Kreacher, who’d made their life miserable for the week they’d had him. Sirius had gifted him off to somebody, possibly the Malfoy family. Harry didn’t remember. Emsy was the best house elf ever. She was sweet and kind and had never tried to poison him. On second thought, maybe Kreacher had set the bar pretty low for house elves…

“Emsy, will you join us?” Sirius asked.

The little elf immediately shook her head. “Oh, no sir, Emsy couldn’t. Emsy will just be finishing up dessert and then starting on the dishes.”

“If you insist,” Sirius said, and slung a casual arm around Professor Lupin’s waist. “Shall we, then?”

They headed into the dining room, then, and settled at the table for a quiet dinner. Well. As quiet a dinner as they could have, with two Marauders present. Christmas Eve passed with laughter and wild tales and the revelation of the fact that the Professor’s chronic illness which had plagued him throughout Harry’s third year was, in fact, Lycanthropy. Harry wasn’t exactly surprised, considering that his illness always seemed to flare up at the time of the full moon, but he and Neville both made sure to seem appropriately surprised.

At the end of the night, when Sirius’ cheeks were ever so slightly flushed from the wine and he was leaning against Professor Lupin more often than not, Harry and Neville excused themselves for bed. Their rooms were next to each other, though Neville typically followed Harry into his room to talk a bit before bed. He would spend an hour or so with Harry, and then excuse himself back to his room.

On this night, however, Harry found himself not wanting Neville to leave once the hour was up and their eyes were both drooping. “I should really go to bed,” Neville said quietly, even as Harry settled himself more firmly against his Intended.

Neville’s arm was a warm, comfortable weight around his shoulders. He was also rather comfortable to lean against, and Harry murmured a sleepy protest.

“Really, Harry,” Neville said, but it came out as a whisper. “I should go.”

“There’s nothing wrong with just spending the night together,” Harry said finally, his words a little blurred with sleep. “It isn’t like we aren’t getting married after Hogwarts anyway.”

Neville shifted, then said, “We really shouldn’t do this,” even as he began to pull off his outer robes.

Harry watched as Neville stripped down to his undershirt and boxers, then forced himself to stand up and begin disrobing. Neville, being the gentleman that he was, turned his back on Harry and fussed with the covers while Harry pulled on his pajamas.

It took some shuffling for them both to get comfortable in Harry’s bed. Neither of them had shared a bed before so it was a little awkward on both of their parts. Eventually, they wound up with Neville flat on his back and Harry curled up against him, his head resting on Neville’s shoulder.

“This is nice,” Harry whispered hesitantly. His eyes drifted closed as Neville began to gently run his fingers through Harry’s hair.

“It is,” Neville agreed softly. “Merry Christmas, Harry,” he whispered.

“Merry Christmas,” Harry whispered back, and the next thing he knew Padfoot was in his room, barking madly at him as was apparently his custom on Christmas morning.

Harry and Neville both sat up quickly and jumped out of bed. Neville tripped and wound up face-down on the floor and Harry on his ass on the opposite side of the bed.

Padfoot turned back into Sirius, who fell to his knees laughing. “Your faces!” he shouted through his laughter.

“You’re mean, Sirius,” Harry complained even as he stood up and walked around the bed to kneel next to Neville. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” Neville said. “Just bruised my pride a bit, it’s okay.”

“You’re lucky that your pride is all that’s bruised. I should have words for you, sleeping with my godson like that,” Sirius said cheerfully. “Fortunately, I know that you’re an honorable man because your Grandmother would have killed you by now if you weren’t. Also, it’s Christmas and I’m in a forgiving mood.”

Harry laughed even as he helped Neville to his feet. “You say that like we did something wrong.” Harry raised an eyebrow at his godfather. “We didn’t, did we?”

Sirius shrugged. “I”m sure a more conventional family might say that you did, but I don’t actually see anything wrong with it. Just so you don’t get used to it, because you won’t be allowed to do it at Hogwarts.”

Harry and Neville and Sirius went downstairs shortly thereafter, where Professor Lupin was sitting at the dining room table, waiting for them. They had nice breakfast together and exchanged gifts, although the Professor hadn’t been intending on staying so he had nothing for them and they had nothing for him. It was okay, though, because they all had fun.

That year, Harry gave Neville a book of poetry by Neville’s favorite poet, and Neville gave him a ring. It would serve as his engagement ring, and Harry immediately put it on and knew that he would likely never take it off again.

The inscription on the ring read _May our garden grow forever_ , and Harry most definitely did not cry when he read it.

And if he did, well, it was Christmas. Rumor had it that sentimentality was allowed, even encouraged, during Christmas. Since Harry’s Christmases kept getting better and better, he figured he was allowed to cry a little bit when given a ring by the person who, he was certain, he’d be spending the rest of his life with. Not that he cried at all.


	7. Seventh Year

The rest of Harry’s sixth year passed quickly and quietly. There were no tests to study for, no shocking social scandals to make things more lively. Harry wouldn’t have rathered it any other way. He enjoyed the peaceful end of the year and was looking forward to the summer.

Sirius wanted to resume their world tour, and that’s exactly what they did. This time, Tonks and her parents joined them for the majority of it, and Harry got to enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by family for the first time in his life. Not that he hadn’t spent time with his family before, but it was different going out with a group of his family members on a vacation. He didn’t know why, but it was.

Remus came along as well after the first few weeks, although apparently there was a lot more persuasion involved there. Something about his old Professor not wanting to risk biting one of them or something. Harry wasn’t certain, but he was glad the Professor had come. Sirius was much happier with him there.

On the other hand, Remus’ presence meant that he, Neville, and Tonks lost the prank war that quite naturally arose between them and the adults. They perhaps had miscalculated the effects of entering into pranking combat with two of the notorious pranksters of the generation before theirs and, as such, may or may not have wound up outside a hotel in the middle of the Las Vegas strip charmed into dancing a jig and shouting an accompanying war chant.

It wasn’t their finest hour, and a surrender had swiftly been negotiated.

Shortly thereafter, it had been back to Hogwarts for Harry’s seventh year. All around him other students were panicking, trying to figure out what their steps would be after graduation, working on studying for their NEWTs. Neither Harry nor Neville were particularly concerned. Harry would be making his way in the world as a politician with his hereditary seats, and Neville and he would be running a greenhouse on the side.

The only other student not panicking was Malfoy, and Harry was almost certain that it was for the same reasons that he wasn’t. He already had his future planned, whether he liked it or not. Malfoy intended to apprentice as a Potions Master immediately after Hogwarts. He would eventually be taking his father’s seats on the Board of Governors and the Wizengamot, much like Harry. The only difference was that he wasn’t going to be taking those seats immediately upon graduating.

It put them in a unique position, and Harry found himself spending quite a lot of time with Malfoy as they watched the rest of the students in Slytherin scurry around frantically. One might have said that they were almost… friends by the time Christmas break rolled around. It helped, certainly, that Malfoy never looked down on Neville and was always, at the very least, cordial to him.

The fact that they were getting along now didn’t change the fact that this Christmas was apparently going to be the first Christmas in a very long time that Harry hadn’t actually enjoyed.

“Would you try to cheer up?” Neville asked from where he stood opposite Harry, standing as still as he possibly could.

Harry shifted and let out a small growl as he was pricked by the tailor’s needle. “No. No I will not cheer up.” He straightened his spine at the annoyed prod from the shop assistant and fought the urge to snarl louder. It wouldn’t do any good, but it might make Sirius laugh some more at him.

“This isn’t that bad,” Neville said calmly.

“Easy for you to say. You haven’t been pricked by five million needles so far,” Harry muttered.

“If you would stand still you wouldn’t be pricked so often,” Neville answered. “Like I am. The more still you stand, the sooner this will be over. And then we can go back to the Manor and rest until this evening, when we have dinner.”

“You’re lying,” Harry muttered. “This will never be over. I’m going to spend the rest of my days up here on this pedestal getting measured for new dress robes when I already have a set that’s perfectly good at home.”

“Oh stop it! You drama queen,” Sirius said through his snickers. “This really isn’t so bad. It’ll take another hour, maybe two, tops. And then you can be done for now.”

“He says that, but he was fitted a month ago just so you wouldn’t be able to see him fussing and squirming just like you are now, Harry,” Remus said cheerfully. “And you can’t wear those same robes. You wore them to the Yule Ball, and this is an entirely new occasion.”

Harry’s lips curled into a soft snarl. “Is this what my life is going to be like? Worrying about how I’m dressed and making the right impressions?”

“Yes, so you might as well get used to it,” Sirius answered.

Harry rolled his eyes, but stood obediently still when the tailor approached again. “If it weren’t for the fact that I’m really looking forward to taking my seat on the Wizengamot, I’d protest a lot more than this,” Harry told them all.

“I think you’ve protested enough,” the assistant muttered.

Neville burst into laughter even as he was allowed to step down from his pedestal. “Even he’s got your number, Harry. I’d stand still if I were you, otherwise they’re going to start poking you just for fun.”

“You mean they weren’t already?” Harry asked, even as he froze completely. He really wasn’t enjoying being a human pincushion.

Shortly after that exchange, the fitting was finally over and Harry made his escape from Twilfitt and Tattings. They stopped for ice cream, because Harry was definitely a child who needed to be bribed with ice cream after enduring something he hated for a solid three hours, and then headed back to their home for this Christmas: Malfoy Manor.

It was miserable. Harry hated it, even with Neville accompanying him the entire time. This place just… it didn’t feel like a home. It felt like a cold and dead place and Harry despised visiting there. Sirius said that it was good to have ties to all members of his family, though, and so they were spending Christmas with the Malfoys.

Apparently, Narcissa was already almost insulted that they’d spent last Christmas with the Tonks family rather than with them.

Harry supposed he could understand that. Pureblood politics sort of demanded that they spend at least as much time with the Malfoy family as they did with the Tonks family, perhaps even more. Hence the entire Christmas holiday being spent at Malfoy Manor where they’d only visited with Andromeda and her family for a few days last Christmas.

Harry supposed that the Malfoys would demand time with Sirius during the summer as well, to make up for this summer travelling with the Tonks family. With his luck, he would undoubtedly be roped into spending time with the Malfoys as well. And as well as Harry was getting along with Draco these days, he still didn’t necessarily care for his parents all that much.

“I hate politics,” he groaned as he flopped onto his bed.

“Then shouldn’t you just be planning to work in the greenhouse with me and leave the seats untaken?” Neville asked as he settled much more carefully onto the bed as well.

Harry curled into him. “I like that part of politics. The law making and the judging and the chance to make a difference in the world. I like that part quite a lot. It’s this part, the schmoozing and the spending equal time with people you can’t stand just because of appearances that I don’t like.”

Neville let out a considering hum. “You could always be like Sirius. Or like Sirius would be if he’d actually take any of his seats. Just take the seats, vote how you will, and damn the consequences.”

Harry sighed. “That wouldn’t do much good though, would it?”

Neville began to run his fingers through Harry’s hair. “Wouldn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t be able to change anything if I did that. I’d just be… throwing my votes in along with other people’s causes and hoping that it made a difference. And with the way the Wizengamot runs now, I’d never… Remus would never be able to get a job again. None of those people look twice at things like werewolves’ rights. If I really want to make a difference, then I’ll have to play the game and play it well.”

Neville smiled at him. “I think you have the right idea. You’ll never get anywhere without support, without playing their game. And I think you’ll be very good at the game,” Neville said softly. “Even if you hate it.”

Harry shifted closer to Neville. “I’d imagine that I’ll learn to like it soon enough,” he said quietly. “And if not, if I find that I really can’t stand it, well, I’ll just pass my seats to you and let you handle all of it.”

And then Harry was choking on the pillow that was shoved into his face and he was scrambling for his own weapon in the war that broke out in his bedroom.

Later, when Draco came to fetch them for dinner, there were feathers all over the place and Harry and Neville were collapsed in the middle of the bed in a heap, laughing hysterically.

ooOOooOOoo

Harry rather thought that Neville’s robes looked perfect on him. They were midnight blue with golden accents that almost directly matched Harry’s own robes. Harry’s were also that same shade of blue, but with silver accents. They both were a crisp white shirt beneath their robes with ties in the colors of their accents. Harry thought he looked ridiculous.

“You look fine,” Neville said as soon as the thought had run through his head.

Harry let out a frustrated noise. “Did you study Legilimency?” he asked. “You always seem to know when I’m being insecure.”

“I just know you really, really well,” Neville said. He leaned down, then, and brushed a gentle kiss across Harry’s lips. “You look amazing. Stop worrying.”

Harry shivered and leaned up for another kiss. This one was slightly longer and left Harry shivering even more. “We have to go out there soon, don’t we?” he asked, even as he took a step back from Neville. As much as he wanted to continue kissing him until somebody came looking, it probably wasn’t a good idea.

They would both be too mussed to go out among the others, and that would sort of defeat the whole purpose of getting fitted for these robes, wouldn’t it? Not to mention Sirius would probably murder them. Or shove them out into the middle of the waiting crowd while still mussed.

It was Christmas Eve and Harry and Neville were, for the first time, attending the Malfoy family Yule Gala. It was an event the likes of which Harry never would have imagined attending that first Christmas at Hogwarts when he was all alone and his housemates hated him. He likely never would have been invited even with Neville Courting him, were it not for Sirius.

There was a tap on the door, then. “Are you two almost ready?” Remus asked, sticking his head into the room. If possible, he looked even more uncomfortable than Harry did. His robes were lovely, black, and also brand new. Considering how he normally dressed, Harry imagined that he was the most uncomfortable out of all of them. This certainly wasn’t the sort of event he would have been invited to without Sirius.

“We thought we’d send you and Sirius down all by yourselves,” Harry said immediately.

Remus’ glower in response was sort of scary, actually. And then he broke into a huge grin, and that was even scarier. “I thought you’d surrendered in the prank war already, Harry,” he said cheerfully. “You weren’t planning on resuming it, were you?”

Harry cleared his throat and said, “What I meant to say was that we’re absolutely ready, and are you guys ready to head down yet?”

Neville’s soft laughter helped Harry to relax as they headed out of the room. Sirius was waiting for them at the top of the stairs, looking as at ease as he always did. Sometime Harry envied his godfather’s ability to be calm in almost any situation, and then he remembered that Sirius was something of a lunatic and could always use Azkaban as an excuse for any colorful behavior. Harry also supposed that a ballroom full of the rich and famous of Wizarding society couldn’t possibly be as frightening as a prison full of Dementors.

“You survived the Yule Ball, didn’t you? This is just like that,” Sirius said cheerfully as they started down the steps.

“The Yule Ball didn’t have the Minister of Magic in attendance, nor did it have all the people I’m ever going to work with just waiting for me to make a mistake so they can gossip about it later,” Harry hissed.

“Paranoid, aren’t you?” Sirius asked through muffled laughter.

Harry didn’t deign to reply. His godfather would only use it against him later.

They made it down the stairs and through the silent house, until they were standing just outside the ballroom. Harry had been inside the grand room earlier in the week, so he knew exactly how many people it could hold and exactly how big the room was. He also knew that all eyes would likely be on them as they entered, due to the elderly man standing there, taking their names.

Sure enough, the doors swung in and the elderly man stepped into the room before them. “Announcing Lord Black and his guest, Remus Lupin!” Sirius and Remus swept into the room, then, and Harry took a deep breath. “Announcing Harry Black, Heir to the House of Black, and his Intended, Neville Longbottom!”

Harry and Neville entered the room much as Sirius and Remus had, and Harry really, really wished they hadn’t. There had to have been a few hundred people in the room already, and they were all staring at them. Harry forced himself to smile, because he was going to have to start getting used to events like this, and stood up as straight as he could. And concentrated on not falling down the stairs, because that was the last thing he needed.

Draco was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m so glad there are other boys my age here this year,” Draco said to them through a grin.

“I would’ve thought you would love these things,” Harry said cheerfully, relaxing now that eyes were gradually moving off of him.

Draco shrugged. “They aren’t terrible. Astoria’s here somewhere, and Daphne. Other than that, though, it’s just us in our age group. Zabini wasn’t invited this year, and Nott’s out of the country.” He shot Neville an appraising look. “All right there, Longbottom?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” Neville said. “I’m not the one who has to worry about the kind of impression he’s making tonight.”

Harry immediately tensed again. “Thanks for that,” he hissed to Neville.

Draco laughed softly. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too bad. You’ll have someone excellent introducing you to people, after all.”

Harry’s eyebrows rose. “Who?” he asked, because he hadn’t been let in on any sort of plan like that.

“My mother,” Draco said, just as the woman in question joined them.

“Harry, Neville, how lovely to have the two of you here,” she said, like they weren’t staying with her for the holidays or anything. “Please, won’t you come with me? I’ve got some friends who are just dying to meet you. And Draco, Astoria was looking for you. She said you promised her some dancing, and that if you aren’t careful she’ll find another man to engage herself to.”

“Well, I certainly can’t have that, can I?” Draco asked. “Good luck, Harry, Neville. You’ll need it.” With that ominous warning, Draco disappeared into the crowd.

“Shouldn’t you be showing my godfather around?” Harry asked, even as he and Neville followed Narcissa obediently.

“Don’t be ridiculous, dear. Lucius is handling that.” Narcissa paused a moment, studying the crowd before them, and then her face blossomed into a smile. “Now, boys, I’d like to introduce you to Madame Ravensdale. Her husband sits on the Wizengamot.”

What followed was something of a blur to Harry. It passed quickly in a rush of faces and names and handshakes and brushed kisses over knuckles. It was exhausting and exhilarating and before Harry knew it, it was two o’clock on Christmas morning and he was pulling off his dress robes and letting them fall to a heap on the floor.

He probably shouldn’t do that, but really, he was too tired to care. One of the house elves would pick them up later.

He had just settled in for bed when there was a knock on the door and Neville came to join him, a small wrapped parcel in his hand.

“Hey,” Neville said quietly, and settled next to him. “I thought maybe we could do our gift exchange now, in private, since we aren’t likely to get much time to ourselves tomorrow.”

Harry grinned and summoned Neville’s wrapped present to him. “I like that idea,” Harry said cheerfully, and handed it to Neville. “Go on, you first!”

Neville laughed softly and opened it. There was a packet of seeds in a small box, as well as two tickets. The seeds were for a new variety of Fairy Bells that had only been bred a month ago by an herbologist in Russia. When they grew, they would be all white with blue tips, and they would make a more delicate sound when touched. The tickets were for a private, guided tour of the Butchart Gardens in Canada scheduled for their Easter break. They didn’t normally offer private tours, but Harry had pretty much thrown his money at them until they agreed.

“This is great, Harry, thank you,” Neville said, and leaned down to kiss him. “Now open yours, please!”

Harry laughed softly and opened his gift. He stared blankly at the contents, his eyes widening slowly. “Neville,” he started quietly, then stopped. His eyes were starting to tear up.

“Harry,” Neville answered quietly.

“You-” Harry cut off again, and glanced down at the slip of paper in his lap. “You-” He had to stop because there was a knot in his throat that he couldn’t quite speak around.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Neville said, and tilted Harry’s head up to look at him. “Don’t cry!” Neville looked horrified.

“You make me feel like a terrible gifter!” Harry managed around the lump in his throat. “Every year, you do things like buy me a Courtship gift, or buy me a ring, or give me a memory of my parents, or give me a house, and all I ever give you are planty things!”

“But I love planty things!” Neville protested. “They’re great, Harry, really! I wouldn’t have said so if I didn’t think it. I’m looking forward to this tour, and to growing these seeds!”

“You gave me a house, Neville! Seeds and a tour don’t compare to a house!” Harry protested.

“They do to me,” Neville said. “It isn’t a contest, Harry. Everything you give me is wonderful because it comes from you, and I love every single thing that you give me. Almost as much as I love you.” Neville kissed him again and added, “Besides, I rather thought of it as giving us a house.”

The tears spilled over then, but they were happy tears, and Harry flung himself at Neville. “I love you so much,” he said through his tears. “Thank you, Neville.”

Neville spent the night with him and, when Padfoot showed up at eight o’clock in the morning to wake them up once more in honor of it being Christmas morning, the two of them were ready and waiting with more pillows to ambush him.

It was an excellent Christmas.


	8. Epilogue - A Christmas Wedding

“There’s no need to be nervous; you look great,” Draco said from where he was lounging, feet kicked up on the arm of the couch. He seemed perfectly serene.

That bastard.

“I hate you. Go away,” Harry said through gritted teeth. He continued pacing back and forth in front of the window and tried to reign in his panic. Despite his attempts, his panic wasn’t going anywhere. There was just too much that could go wrong. Oh, Merlin, what if something went wrong? What if Neville decided that he didn’t want to… no. No, that was ridiculous. Neville loved him, more than anything. Neville wouldn’t do something like leaving him at the altar.

“You don’t hate me. You just hate the fact that Neville isn’t allowed in here with you,” Draco said cheerfully. “And just think: You’ll get to do this to me in a year or so.”

Harry’s lip curled into a snarl. “That isn’t helpful,” he hissed. There was still so much that could go wrong with this. He just wanted it to be over. Why had he ever agreed to a public ceremony? He should have insisted on something private and ignored Sirius. After all, Sirius’ ceremony had been private over the summer, and nobody had fussed about that. Why couldn’t Harry enjoy the same?

“Are you still sulking in here, or have you moved on to nervousness?” Sirius asked from the doorway.

“He’s a lovely mixture of both right now. Please tell me that they’re almost ready for us, because otherwise I’m going to fire a stunner at him to keep him quiet until it’s time,” Draco answered.

“Are you being intolerable, brat?” Sirius asked, and Harry muttered something under his breath that was rather uncomplimentary and insulting to his adopted father. “Now, now, my mother was many things, but that wasn’t one of them,” Sirius said.

He came further into the room and placed his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “Give us a minute, Draco? They’re ready for us now, but I’d like to talk to Harry first.”

“Of course,” Draco said, and slipped from the room.

“Can we just get this over with?” Harry asked plaintively. He’d taken his seats on the Wizengamot and the Board and was getting used to the spotlight that came with them, but it still wasn’t something he was entirely comfortable with. This spectacle of a wedding definitely wasn’t his idea of a good time. The best part would be after, when he and Neville went on holiday to wizarding France. It was beautiful around the turn of the year.

Sirius was smiling at him, and not moving him towards the door, though. Instead, he carefully readjusted Harry’s tie. “You know, when I decided to adopt you, I never thought I’d be giving you up this soon,” Sirius said quietly.

“You aren’t,” Harry said. “Neville’s even taking the Black name. If anything, you’re gaining a son.”

“Technically, yes, but you won’t be my little boy after this anymore. I already lost so much time with you, I just…” Sirius stopped, took a deep breath, and shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t even know what I’m saying, Harry. I’m really glad that you’re happy with the way things turned out.” He summoned up a smile, then, but it wavered a bit.

Harry’s eyebrows rose. “I am, Sirius,” he said, answering the unspoken question. “I’m so very happy with Neville. And I promise, I will hold this moment of sentimentality against you for all the years to come.”

Sirius stepped back from him with a genuine laugh. “You’re still a brat,” Sirius said cheerfully. “They’re waiting for us. You shouldn’t hold up the ceremony, you know. There are a lot of important people here waiting to see it.”

Harry rolled his eyes, but gamely followed Sirius from the small alcove off on the side of Malfoy Manor’s ballroom. They’d originally wanted to hold the ceremony and reception in a much smaller venue, but as it was only correct and proper to invite all of Harry’s colleagues from work, well, the event had gotten much bigger than that much faster.

The ballroom was decked out in white and silver, the colors of the wedding. Harry wore white robes with silver accents, while Neville’s were a dark grey with silver accents. There had to be a few hundred people in the audience, and Neville was waiting calmly for him, looking as unflappable as he always did.

Just once, just once Harry would really like it if he could be the calm one and Neville could be the one panicking.

The ceremony itself passed in a blur for Harry. He remembered his vows, spoke them when prompted, exchanged rings with Neville, felt the magic tying them together forever, and everything slowed down in time for Neville to kiss him gently in front of all of their guests.

Harry closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment before they parted and turned to face their guests as a married couple.

The reception was fantastically fun. Harry and Neville shared the first dance and it was sweet and wonderful and romantic. Then, Harry was allegedly supposed to dance with Sirius, so he did but they spent the entire time trying to trip each other until Neville and Remus broke them up. Harry then stole away Draco’s fiance, Astoria, for a dance or two until Draco himself stopped socializing and came to steal her back.

And at the end of the reception, which lasted well into the early hours of the next morning, Harry and Neville left together, hands clasped, ready to start the rest of their lives as a married couple.

In the Christmases to come, their family would grow even further. After they were more settled in their lives, Harry and Neville discussed matters and found a witch willing to surrogate for them. She was a nice girl, if a little bit odd, and she remained in little Aiden Black’s life as a favored Aunt. 

When Harry turned thirty, he was contacted by Muggle authorities. His cousin was dead, victim to his father’s drunken rage. Harry couldn’t figure out what had set Vernon off so badly until he met Dudley’s daughter. She was a beautiful little girl, and at age three, her accidental magic had nearly destroyed Vernon’s house. Petunia wanted nothing to do with her, and the mother had never been in the picture, so Harry and Neville gladly took custody of Violet, and their family grew once more.

As Harry had wished when he was only eleven years old, his life was now filled with family and friendship and laughter and love, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.


End file.
